3151: Window Screen - Revision history

2A09:BAC2:88C6:2828:0:0:400:50 at 19:40, 27 March 2026

2026-03-27T19:40:31Z

Geminga at 21:48, 13 March 2026

2026-03-13T21:48:30Z

82.132.244.181: /* Transcript */ Clean up linefeed. And to make it obvious he's not-as-hairy-as-Hairy-but-more-obviously-hairy-than-Cueball-normally-is (his Nac Mac Feegle name... ;)

2025-11-07T13:40:18Z

‎Transcript: Clean up linefeed. And to make it obvious he's not-as-hairy-as-Hairy-but-more-obviously-hairy-than-Cueball-normally-is (his Nac Mac Feegle name... ;)

2600:100F:B1A1:93CA:7C65:9945:C314:75CE: His hair isn't as messy in the last panel.

2025-11-07T13:22:36Z

His hair isn't as messy in the last panel.

42.book.addict: /* Transcript */

2025-11-05T21:57:57Z

‎Transcript

47.144.21.77: /* Explanation */ added comment about malaria

2025-10-18T21:11:03Z

‎Explanation: added comment about malaria

82.132.237.188: /* Explanation */ Assuming it's a glazed window, not just a gap (see Talk comment about the need for a screen in the first place). But, to me, it looks like the gap is one where the covering minimal surface area is also a planar one, glass or otherwise.

2025-10-14T17:58:50Z

‎Explanation: Assuming it's a glazed window, not just a gap (see Talk comment about the need for a screen in the first place). But, to me, it looks like the gap is one where the covering minimal surface area is also a planar one, glass or otherwise.

Zmatt: Undo revision 388581 by 2.98.65.8 (talk) It's explicitly stated to be non-planar, bottomright of second panel shows (presumably exaggerated) surface of negative curvature

2025-10-14T09:18:48Z

Undo revision 388581 by 2.98.65.8 (talk) It's explicitly stated to be non-planar, bottomright of second panel shows (presumably exaggerated) surface of negative curvature

Trimutius: I think his solution being mathy is important part why there is no nobel prize...

2025-10-12T11:54:51Z

I think his solution being mathy is important part why there is no nobel prize...

2.98.65.8: Undo revision 388574 by Zmatt (talk) Looks developable to me. (Actually, looks completely planar as well. Just a isosceles trapezoid with an arched top.)

2025-10-10T20:35:21Z

Undo revision 388574 by Zmatt (talk) Looks developable to me. (Actually, looks completely planar as well. Just a isosceles trapezoid with an arched top.)

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:40, 27 March 2026
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	[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]		[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
		+	[[Category:Nobel Prize]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:48, 13 March 2026
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	Since no Nobel Prize currently exists that would cover recognition of Cueball's achievement, the title text suggests extending the existing prize in "physiology or medicine", which could cover advances in window screen technology if an improved window screen used to protect sleeping occupants from mosquitoes led to a significant reduction in malaria, to also potentially cover "home improvement or DIY". {{w\|Do it yourself}} (DIY) refers to work done by a non-specialist that alternatively could be done by a paid professional, and is often used for household repair or construction such as Cueball's screen project. [[Randall]] likely chose this original prize category because it is already anomalous in containing 'or' in its title, while the other prizes have only a single-word description of endeavor. The necessity to distinguish {{w\|home improvement}} from DIY by specifying both options seems somewhat more redundant than that between {{w\|physiology}} (understanding how organisms normally operate) and {{w\|medicine}} (understanding how to treat unhealthy ones). Though judging by second panel, this could be considered a mathematical achievement, and famously [https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-o/math-faq/mathtext/node21.html there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics].		Since no Nobel Prize currently exists that would cover recognition of Cueball's achievement, the title text suggests extending the existing prize in "physiology or medicine", which could cover advances in window screen technology if an improved window screen used to protect sleeping occupants from mosquitoes led to a significant reduction in malaria, to also potentially cover "home improvement or DIY". {{w\|Do it yourself}} (DIY) refers to work done by a non-specialist that alternatively could be done by a paid professional, and is often used for household repair or construction such as Cueball's screen project. [[Randall]] likely chose this original prize category because it is already anomalous in containing 'or' in its title, while the other prizes have only a single-word description of endeavor. The necessity to distinguish {{w\|home improvement}} from DIY by specifying both options seems somewhat more redundant than that between {{w\|physiology}} (understanding how organisms normally operate) and {{w\|medicine}} (understanding how to treat unhealthy ones). Though judging by second panel, this could be considered a mathematical achievement, and famously [https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-o/math-faq/mathtext/node21.html there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics].
		+
		+	Of couse, the prior paragraph would become a non-problem if Randall reaches out to Dr. Adams to discover [[New Nobel Prizes]].

	The comic's release coincided with the [https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2025/press-release/ announcement] of the {{w\|2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine}}.		The comic's release coincided with the [https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2025/press-release/ announcement] of the {{w\|2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine}}.

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 :Oblique angles. Curved edges. Noncoplanarity.
-:[Cueball with rumpled hair, looking at the same window covered by a bordered mesh.]
+:[Cueball, now with some sparse/short but rumpled hair, looking at the same window covered by a bordered mesh.]
 :... I solved them all.
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 :No gaps, no ripples.
-:[Cueball is revealed to be sitting at a computer, typing a message. His hair is
+:[Cueball is revealed to be sitting at a computer, typing a message. His short, sparse hair is a little less rumpled.]
 :I know that your foundation normally limits its purview to physics, medicine, peace, chemistry and literature.
 :However, if you review the attached photo showing how well the screen fits into the...

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 :No gaps, no ripples.
-:[Cueball is revealed to be sitting at a computer, typing a message. His hair is still rumpled.]
+:[Cueball is revealed to be sitting at a computer, typing a message. His hair is
 :I know that your foundation normally limits its purview to physics, medicine, peace, chemistry and literature.
 :However, if you review the attached photo showing how well the screen fits into the...

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 :Oblique angles. Curved edges. Noncoplanarity.
-:[Cueball with hair, looking at the same window covered by a bordered mesh.]
+:[Cueball with rumpled hair, looking at the same window covered by a bordered mesh.]
 :... I solved them all.
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 :No gaps, no ripples.
-:[Cueball is revealed to be sitting at a computer, typing a message. He still has hair.]
+:[Cueball is revealed to be sitting at a computer, typing a message. His hair is still rumpled.]
 :I know that your foundation normally limits its purview to physics, medicine, peace, chemistry and literature.
 :However, if you review the attached photo showing how well the screen fits into the...
 ==Trivia==
 At the time this comic was released, there was a technical error making it too large to fit into the page on normal desktop/laptop screens. Since [[1084: Server Problem#Trivia|1084: Server Problem]], two versions of each comic are usually available: normal (1x) and high-resolution (2x). This makes the comic look sharp even on high-DPI screens, such as phones, tablets, and some more expensive computer displays. In this case, however, the 2x version was accidentally uploaded as ''both'' versions, making the 1x comic twice as large as it should be. It is possible that Randall did this intentionally as an added punchline.

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 Perfectly fitting a custom screen to such a window may be a significant technical accomplishment that the builder may wish to share with acquaintances. However, it is generally not considered near the level of one of the world's most prestigious awards,{{Citation needed}} which often recognize years of effort, rather than something that Cueball did between the "this weekend" and the present (at most one week).
-Since no Nobel Prize currently exists that would cover recognition of Cueball's achievement, the title text suggests extending the existing prize in "physiology or medicine" to also potentially cover "home improvement or DIY". {{w|Do it yourself}} (DIY) refers to work done by a non-specialist that alternatively could be done by a paid professional, and is often used for household repair or construction such as Cueball's screen project. [[Randall]] likely chose this original prize category because it is already anomalous in containing 'or' in its title, while the other prizes have only a single-word description of endeavor. The necessity to distinguish {{w|home improvement}} from DIY by specifying both options seems somewhat more redundant than that between {{w|physiology}} (understanding how organisms normally operate) and {{w|medicine}} (understanding how to treat unhealthy ones). Though judging by second panel, this could be considered a mathematical achievement, and famously [https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-o/math-faq/mathtext/node21.html there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics].
+Since no Nobel Prize currently exists that would cover recognition of Cueball's achievement, the title text suggests extending the existing prize in "physiology or medicine", which could cover advances in window screen technology if an improved window screen used to protect sleeping occupants from mosquitoes led to a significant reduction in malaria, to also potentially cover "home improvement or DIY". {{w|Do it yourself}} (DIY) refers to work done by a non-specialist that alternatively could be done by a paid professional, and is often used for household repair or construction such as Cueball's screen project. [[Randall]] likely chose this original prize category because it is already anomalous in containing 'or' in its title, while the other prizes have only a single-word description of endeavor. The necessity to distinguish {{w|home improvement}} from DIY by specifying both options seems somewhat more redundant than that between {{w|physiology}} (understanding how organisms normally operate) and {{w|medicine}} (understanding how to treat unhealthy ones). Though judging by second panel, this could be considered a mathematical achievement, and famously [https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-o/math-faq/mathtext/node21.html there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics].
 The comic's release coincided with the [https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2025/press-release/ announcement] of the {{w|2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine}}.

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:58, 14 October 2025
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	{{w\|Coplanarity\|Noncoplanarity}} is a state where all elements of a system cannot be represented on the same plane. This implies that the window is not flat, suggesting that the glass is curved, and/or that the wall that surrounds the screen is not flat. The shape in the comic could possibly occur if the room featured in the first and third panels was at least partly conical, with the window narrowing to match the wall sloping inward to a central point above (this would also fit the earlier mention of multiple curved edges). The glass could also be shaped into an outward bubble. Either way, the mesh must be carefully shaped.		{{w\|Coplanarity\|Noncoplanarity}} is a state where all elements of a system cannot be represented on the same plane. This implies that the window is not flat, suggesting that the glass is curved, and/or that the wall that surrounds the screen is not flat. The shape in the comic could possibly occur if the room featured in the first and third panels was at least partly conical, with the window narrowing to match the wall sloping inward to a central point above (this would also fit the earlier mention of multiple curved edges). The glass could also be shaped into an outward bubble. Either way, the mesh must be carefully shaped.
		+
		+	The second panel of the comic shows a montage of diagrams and/or stages of construction that include a (possibly exagerated) {{w\|skew polygon}} surface, presumably intended to be relevant to the mesh-screen's final shape. That said, the view given of the actual window (both without and with the fitted mesh) gives absolutely no indication of either a single or double curvature in the actually intended scenario; with the apparently straight interface between wall and (presumed) flat and level floor, it is not apparent that the wall is not entirely vertical (albeit with a symmetrical but non-rectangular shape of window). A planar inclined wall, or even one with a changing angle away from verticality, would pose no (or little) additional effort to gap-fill. The mesh even seems to be drawn in an entirely undistorted manner, which further reduces the possible distortions of its surface into a form that happens to project ''exactly'' towards the viewer in an undistorted fashion (calculating ''that'' effect, precisely, might be Cueball's claimed achievement, but it could not be simultaneously applied to all viewers from all possible viewpoints). Additionally, while the interwoven but twistable warp and weft of the mesh fabric is almost trivially distorted to drape across uneven surfaces, with a modicum of skill, any glazier who must have first hypothetically installed the non-planar window-glass would in turn have had to shape and bend the glass sheets using far more intensive and exacting production methods.

	Perfectly fitting a custom screen to such a window may be a significant technical accomplishment that the builder may wish to share with acquaintances. However, it is generally not considered near the level of one of the world's most prestigious awards,{{Citation needed}} which often recognize years of effort, rather than something that Cueball did between the "this weekend" and the present (at most one week).		Perfectly fitting a custom screen to such a window may be a significant technical accomplishment that the builder may wish to share with acquaintances. However, it is generally not considered near the level of one of the world's most prestigious awards,{{Citation needed}} which often recognize years of effort, rather than something that Cueball did between the "this weekend" and the present (at most one week).

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 Curved edges require extra care to measure and cut. Circular or semi-circular windows follow a constant curve that can be traced with limited effort, but the window in the comic is irregular.
-{{w|Coplanarity|Noncoplanarity}} is a state where all elements of a system cannot be represented on the same plane. This implies that the window is not flat, suggesting that the glass is curved, and/or that the wall that surrounds the screen is not flat. The shape in the comic could possibly occur if the room featured in the first and third panels was at least partly conical, with the window narrowing to match the wall sloping inward to a central point above (this would also fit the earlier mention of multiple curved edges). The glass could also be shaped into an outward bubble. Either way, the mesh must be carefully shaped. Thankfully for the project, the shape appears to be a {{w|developable surface}} - one that can be flattened onto a plane without distortion - saving further complication of the work to be done.
+{{w|Coplanarity|Noncoplanarity}} is a state where all elements of a system cannot be represented on the same plane. This implies that the window is not flat, suggesting that the glass is curved, and/or that the wall that surrounds the screen is not flat. The shape in the comic could possibly occur if the room featured in the first and third panels was at least partly conical, with the window narrowing to match the wall sloping inward to a central point above (this would also fit the earlier mention of multiple curved edges). The glass could also be shaped into an outward bubble. Either way, the mesh must be carefully shaped.
 Perfectly fitting a custom screen to such a window may be a significant technical accomplishment that the builder may wish to share with acquaintances. However, it is generally not considered near the level of one of the world's most prestigious awards,{{Citation needed}} which often recognize years of effort, rather than something that Cueball did between the "this weekend" and the present (at most one week).